Vampires of Paradise
by Emma Dean
Summary: Humans and Elves have been at war for over a century...but then corrupt gods all wanting power, faeries trying to solve everything, royalty murder plots, love, and one soldier will create something neither side saw coming.
1. Dreaming of Paradise

Lets see...I own pretty much everything except for the fact that the world its set in is the Dungeons and Dragons world me and my pals play in...

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1. Dreaming of Paradise

It hurts so badly. I don't want to move. It hurts too much to move.

I had to pretend to be dead so anyone looking for survivors would pass over me, unless it was someone I could trust to getme off this forsaken, blood worn battlefield.

It is terribly blurry, not only my eyesight but my memory too. It's not amnesia, just facts blending themselves together. My mouth is dry and my leg won't stop bleeding. I don't think I can remember being this hungry ever before.

I do remember more than I give myself credit. I remember seeing and learning too much in the army. I realized too much. Elves aren't the kind, fair heroes I had thought so long ago. They are exactly like humans. Our blood runs the same. I wouldn't be able to recognize my friend's blood from an elfin enemy's any more than I could tell a man's from a woman's, a traitor's from an honest man's.

After all the elves do, enslaving any other race, thinking them impure, the gods still favor them. Perhaps it is their priests, convincing the elves to do their deeds while pleasing the gods with sacrifices I can only imagine. Elves are the fair fold of ancient times. They are now known as Stragata, or bad blood, a name more fitting, even though an improper meaning.

Why don't the human favoring gods do something? Why can't they take over their King Crayerl of Creation, who favored Elves, and help their race before it dies; before we die?

My sister often spoke of gods, gods' hierarchy and of sprites. I'm not sure if I can remember it at all. Major gods are mostly of an element, if I remember right. Only they can be King or Queen, but minor gods, who I cannot recall what they are for the most part, can become Major if they do somthing...I'm fairly sure they have to create an element to make them Major. They are not usually as powerful as the first Major gods. I suppose Dream must be one of them.

They say Dream favors me because of my purple eyes. I think that's nonsense. I'm not keen on day dreaming and I rarely remember my dreams when I wake in the morning. But not to get distracted, sprites are under gods. They control certain branches of an element or whatever minor gods are gods of.

Then there are demons. They have something to do with an element only...bad.

I'm so hungry, so thirsty. Will this suffering ever end?

I sleep most of the day to awaken to my gnawing stomach not to mention pain in my leg. i do have a small amount of water and food in my pack if it hasn't been stolen in my sleep. For that I am thankful, even if I can only savour and ration it for so long.

I wake from one of my afternoon naps realizing that I had slept all through the night. The sun was barely visible in the horizon.

I eat the last of the food and drink the last of my water on this third morning. having found the strength to rummage thruough my pack I found some bandages which I now wrap tightly around my wounded leg. It will slowly heal.

This tree I'm under is lovely and shades me throughout most of the day, though I haven't really spent time to recognize its beauty.

Something suddenly hits my shoulder quite hard. I barely resisted yelping. A sort of fruit had fallen on me. Others were falling quite close to me. I held one that had fallen on me and took a bite. If it was poisonous and killed me it would hardly be a loss.

It was good. At least it wasn't bad. A lot of seeds, but who am I to complain about food? I reach for more of the fruits thinking, "My feast."

Feasting on these strange fruits is not enough. I need water. I keep sleeping to avoid the constant headaches. I dream of a river streaked with blood. In my dream I don't care and drink anyway. Suddenly I see a head with the expression still fixed in pain. It's floating down the river and I don't prevent myself from screaming in sheer horror-

I awaken feeling ready to vomit, but I can't remember why. I hear a noise like angels singing- water! I scramble to my knees with renewed strenght ignoring my injured leg. I just drink until I'm full. I end up vomitting after all but I don't care.

Looking around I notice three carcasses of a bird of some sort, like a chicken, placed next to a tree's giant roots. Whoever moved me chose a perfect place.

It is strange though. It seems I remember this place. It's hazy though as if in a dream. Yes, the river, roots, chickens, I remember it.

I shouldn't be stupid. I've never been here before unless my memory is playing its games. I look back at the river but quickly turn away. The waters are streaked with blood. I look back and the apparition is gone.

My energy burst is gone as well and I struggle back up the bank to my seat against the tree roots. Looking behind the tree I see dead humans and Stregata. There must have been a battle. I fall asleep.

I dream of spite. I see nothing but I feel. I feel my friends dying I feel the Stregata killing. I feel the Stregata dying. I feel the unheard screams in my throat. I feel myself not caring, wanting to kill. As I awaken I feel the pain in my leg and the gumbling of my stomach.

It is night. Looking up at the sky i start to think. I do love the sky. It has a majestic beauty above all esle. If covers this evil world with a beautiful blanket despite its evil, despite it's wrong.

I crawl down to the river side painfully. My mind again insists on its blue black waters being stained with red, though I could not see if it was indeed true. Not able to make myself drink, I stumble back to the tree.

I dream of wondering pointlessly through the water. I can feel the sand under my feet and the water comes to my waist. i just calmly meander in one direction or the next as if being led by an invisable rope. As I see land, I wake up.

Whoever moved me here stole my pack, not that there was anything left inside save maybe my canteen. My leg needs rebandaging, so I manage to get up and rewrap it with the cleaner cloth on the bottom and the bloodied on top. I do have to thank my army training for that.

After that I devoured an entire chicken carcass. Now I regret it. I stumble down to the waters edge and take a long slow drink. After getting back up, I decide there is nothing quite better for me to do than sleep. Tomarrow, maybe I'll have the strength to explore the vicinity. I allow myself to drift off.

My dream of last night continues. The land is paradise. I walk up the sandy banks with no pain at all. Right above the bank there is grass growing and palm trees everywhere.

I wander through the palm forest to a small pool with water a pure crystal blue. Is water meant to be that blue?

I dip a finger into its waters and suddenly a horrific shriek fills the silence. A shriek that shakes my waking blood.

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so what did you think? terrible? great? too long? too short? 

review and tell me perhaps?

Fang Palmtree


	2. Regarding Fate

same disclaimer as last time...

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2. Regarding Fate

"A human!" the shriek echoed through space.

"On my land"

"In my water!"

"In my silence!"

Time stopped. The gods and goddesses were summoned to the Circle of Planets to discuss matters in the faerie and mortal world.

The audience of sprites appeared within seconds.

The gods and goddesses sat on their thrones of magic as Crayerl, King, and Creator recognized the screaming sprites to the floor.

Other sprites, sitting in a semi- circle of amphitheatre seats chatted anxiously.

"Sisters of Paradise, Bhreeze, Oasis, and Sanhd," Crayerl's voice boomed throughout the Circle, silencing the audience.

Oasis, the middle sister, appearing a ghost like blue spoke," A human, a warrior, dares to bathe in our waters," her usually serene, mossy eyes glowed orange with fury.

Bhreeze, the oldest appeared like her sister, but in yellow. Sanhd, the youngest was an orange colored sprite stained with a red tinge.

As Sanhd began to speak, Bhreeze cut her off, "She walks upon my sister's land and breaths my sweet air. And fouls it with her exhale," Bhreeze practically spat. "She deserves worse than death, that dream walker, straying into our realms!"

Crayerl stood. The King had a presence that seemed to dwarf those with the highest seats. "I shall send my demon Death, or Suicide. Surely this will solve our problem."

Trying to stay polite and in the King's good favor, Sanhd spoke slowly and carefully, "Did you not hear my sister Bhreeze speak? This human deserves worse than death! She should be able to control her dream-walking!"

The goddess Ohnassa of dream rose quickly so she would not get cut off. Her skin was lilac and her long hair floated down a cloudy blue. Ohnassa of Dream wore a lacy gown of a deep majestic purple. She had a soft appearance with an over elegant flair.

Her sharp green eyes flashed as she spoke,"Who is this woman warrior of whom you speak sisters?"

Oasis answered the goddess, "Her name is Narcissa of Gabrient."

Ohnassa of Dream's eyes now shone with rage. "I give that girl the power to dream- walk! I favor Narcissa over the rest! She never acknowledges her gift or thanked me for it. Maybe if she had believed she had it she would have controlled it better! Now she treads on faerie land! Narcissa of Gabrient can live in NIGHTMARE!" Ohnassa yelled so no one in the Circle's ears was spared.

Then, before Crayerl of Creation could intervene, Caela of Sky stood from the last throne. Her toffee colored arms were covered by a plain blue dress with dazzling gold trim and flaring sleeves that brushed the floor. Her hair was blacker than midnight and was sprinkled with stardust. Her cape elegantly billowed onto the floor from her shoulders, showing the dawn in the frozen time of the human world. Crowning her head was a plain, steel tiara. She spoke with force behind a calm voice, like a storm behind a sunny day.

"Narcissa does not deserve such a pain for a gift that she cannot control and does not care to. Why, Ohnassa, did you not take such a gift away from an unwilling bearer?" She questioned a bit tartly.

Ohnassa took in air indignantly, but said nothing, her anger not dispersing.

"Narcissa may honor the Sky but no one else!" King Crayerl said in Ohnassa's defense.

That girl, that human girl has no respect for my elves. No human does. Let her live in nightmare, Crayerl thought.

Caela of Sky contradicted her King," You cannot punish for belief! You cannot punish for an unacknowledged gift," before muttering half aloud, "You cannot punish for the truth."

Crayerl caught himself from taking the argument further. Vitania of Life, sitting on his right, was being surprisingly quiet on the matter of one of her humans. Crayerl and the two goddesses returned to their seats as Aquient of Water stood carefully to speak.

He wore nothing on his chest and had a fish tail like that of a merman. His watery locks framed his warm gray face. He spoke in a whispery voice," Let us make a vote of it as opposed to arguing any farther. All except Caela of Sky have agreed on not letting this girl live or have not spoken. I say we vote on a curse or death for this girl of Gabrient."

Crayerl quickly agreed before any god could object. "All in favor of death stand now."

Exactly half stood. There was silence. Curse the day when Memory left making the count even! Crayerl thought.

Sanhd turned to her King. There seemed to be a red glint in her eyes as she said, "Have us sprites supply the votes!"

Her sister backed her statement and a cheer rose from the audience.

It was too late to turn back now. The sprites wanted a vote. Maybe, thought Crayerl, this way I can avoid a rebellion for another century or so if I agree. Mutiny haunted him day and night and so did his conscience.

Reluctantly, Crayerl's voice boomed throughout the Circle of Planets, "Rise now sprites if death is not severe enough to punish this girl of Gabrient."

Very few sprites stood, but more and more followed their lead. More and more they stopped caring about Narcissa. This was just a human, after all. Injustice? Maybe, but this was just a human. What would happen? What would they do to her? This may never happen again. Councils, themselves, were rare enough.

Caela of Sky realized why sprites never got to vote. They only cared about fun. They had no care for Narcissa. To them she was just a human. She was just one soul out of millions. This never would have happened when she was Caela of Universe, when she was queen. Crayerl's little rebellion had persuaded those idiot sprites to make him King.

Leaning over to the Roman clad Cultrus of Arts the leafy skinned Vitania of Life whispered, "There are demons in the audience."

Cultrus answered," They are being reasonable. Not trying anything."

Vitania replied, "Narcissa can live in nightmare. I agreed to that, but demons…" she stopped hoping Cultrus would know what she meant.

Cultrus paused before answering. "You…you don't suppose they persuaded them in their vote…"

His voice trailed off as Vitania replied, "No. It can't be. We would know," She said with more confidence then she felt.

Crayerl of Creation once again raised his voice to gain control of the audience and council. "Fellow gods and goddesses," he said signifying the sprites brief glory was now over, "The sister," he sad before another pause in which he grandly signified the Sisters of Paradise, "Have been in favor. If no one objects they may choose this warrior of Gabrient's fate."

Caela of Sky rose to object. Staring straight ahead without blinking an eye, Crayerl announced, "Then it is settled. We shall keep time at a stand still until the sisters have decided."

Anger began to boil in Caela of Sky and would not easily cool off, knowing that Crayerl of Creation had cut her of on purpose.

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Please review! too long, too short, too confusing? the more reviews the more incentive i have to update!

Truly its very reassuring to know I'm not typing this for no one and someone actually wants to know what happens next


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